The present invention relates to an automatic guiding and tracking device employing radio devices, and more particularly to an automatic guiding and tracking device in which a tracking device can automatically judge a distance to a guiding device.
In a known conventional automatic guiding and tracking device, as disclosed in the official gazette of Japanese Utility Model No. 14687/1992, a player carries a radio transmitter device (a guiding device) for generating guiding signals, while a tracking device is mounted on a golf cart which receives the guiding signals and automatically tracks the player. This device is configured such that a signal from a bearing sensor in the radio transmitter device is transmitted therefrom as a radio wave, that the radio wave so transmitted is received by the tracking device on the golf cart, and that steering of the golf cart is performed by obtaining a difference between bearing output values from the guiding device and the golf cart, respectively, whereby the golf cart is caused to automatically follow (track) the guiding device.
With a conventional automatic guiding and tracking device of this type, since there is transmitted and received no distance information for judging the distance between the guiding device and the tracking device, there is a risk of the tracking device being colliding with the guiding device.
The present invention was made to solve the above problem and an object thereof is to provide an automatic guiding and tracking device in which a distance to a guiding device and a tracking direction can automatically be judged by a tracking device and in which the tracking device can track the guiding device while maintaining a certain distance range therebetween, whereby collision of the two devices is prevented.